RPG-29 Vampir (Vampire)

History

Shortly before the end of the Soviet Empire in 1991, the Red Army introduced its latest anti-tank initiative - the RPG-29 105mm grenade launcher system. Beginning with the original "RPG-2" in 1949, the Soviet Army had long believed in an economical, easy-to-use method of defeating enemy tanks. The Soviet Army bore the brunt of the bloody battle on the Eastern Front. During World War II, the RPG series was developed as a result of these encounters with enemy tanks.

The most popular form of role-playing game later became the "RPG-7" series, which debuted in 1961 and continues today with more than 9 million copies produced. Thus, the RPG-29 introduced this proven bloodline into the inventory of the revised Russian army for the new millennium.

In NATO nomenclature, the RPG-29 received the designation "Vampire" and was adopted in 1989. At the time of writing (2012), the weapon is still in use, although the new "RPG-30" has been added to it". And the "RPG-32" system in circulation now - both appeared in or around 2008.

RPG- 29 Mainly manufactured by the Russian company Bazalt, while Avibras is also locally licensed in Brazil and SEDENA in Mexico.

The main difference between a rocket-propelled grenade launcher (RPG) and its anti-tank missile (ATGM) counterpart is the technology used. RPGs are a very useful weapon on the battlefield, require little training and support on the ground, and can be manufactured in large quantities relatively cheaply, while requiring operators to deploy them successfully. In contrast, anti-tank missile weapon systems are technically complex, expensive to acquire in large quantities, and typically require two or more trained personnel.

These weapons tend to be heavier and larger than RPG weapons, but also provide unparalleled armor deflection at longer ranges. As a result, RPGs have proven to be the weapon of choice for guerrilla and irregular army fighters around the worldespecially in war-torn regions where Soviet weapons proliferated during the Cold War.

RPGs are also ideal urban weapons, where enemy armor tends to lose most of its tactical advantage in confined areas.

The RPG-29 has a very simple design, featuring a long barrel that forms the launch tube. A shoulder rest is integrated to provide some comfort while firing, and a pistol grip manages the action. Standard daytime optics include the 1P38 series with 2.7x target magnification, although night vision goggles can be substituted for them.

The weapon system weighs 27 pounds empty and 40 pounds loaded. Despite this weight, the weapon is designed to be managed by a single operator, which is extremely valuable tactical value in an ongoing battle or ambush. The rocket was loaded through the breech, and the system was placed on the shoulder. The operator simply pulls the trigger to fire the projectile, which burns off all the propellant when it's in the launch tube itself.

As such, the RPG-29 is a simple "dumb" weapon and relatively portable.

The RPG-29 series has two special projectile types "PG-29V" and "TBG-29V". The PG-29V is the anti-tank shell of choice for use against armored vehicles and even fortifications. This type functions using a high-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) warhead loaded in tandem. The tandem charge ensures a small penetrating blast before the main blast, which is useful for defeating precautions such as explosive reactive armor (ERA) blocks.

The TBG-29V is classified as an "anti-personnel" projectile for the RPG-29. Therefore, this form is used against concentrated enemy forces or "soft targets", and its thermo-pressure formula produces an explosive fuel-air effect in a predetermined area that is lethal to anyone in the vicinity of the blast area at the instant of impact. Eight Spring-loaded fins maintain the missile's trajectory.

Recoil is violent in nature but manageable with exposure and training.

The RPG-29 lists a nominal muzzle velocity of 920 feet per second, with excellent range penetration and an effective range of up to 1,600 feet. Visual distance is achieved by integrating optical components or using simple iron sights, which require the target or range to be in "line of sight" with the shooter.

The gun has a barrel length of 6 feet when the missile is breeched for firing. The weapon can then be disassembled into a more compact 3-foot length for transport, and the shoulder straps make it easy to carry.

So the operator can still use his basic assault rifle/light machine gun while slung the RPG-29 launcher on his back and have the weapon ready to use as needed. Since the launch tube is reusable, the operator can carry multiple reloads into combat.

The Iraqi army is known to have used RPG-29 rocket launchers during the US invasion of Iraq in 2003. Its continued service finally proved that the weapon could defeat even the most heavily armored American M1 Abrams and British Challenger 2 tanks on the battlefield - which were once considered immune to all known anti-tank tools in the war. influences. In 2006, Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas successfully used their RPG-29s against Israeli armor, weapons believed to have originated in Syria, the region's historical Soviet-Russian military ally.

Such combat experience undoubtedly proved the value of the RPG-29 relative to all other Soviet rocket-propelled grenade weapons of the time.

RPG-29 was eventually issued to Soviet allies Czechoslovakia and East Germany. Other operators of this type are Bulgaria, Brazil, Cuba; Iran, Mexico, Pakistan, Syria, Ukraine and Vietnam, as well as Hezbollah forces.

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